Old Father Time: As another year rolls by, some poems on moments in Time by eminent poet Arvind Krishna Mehrotra

The year 2023 is ending. A New Year is on its way. Time never hurries but proceeds at its own pace. Ever since humans began to walk on this planet, they have been fascinated by Time. It appears as a concept in mathematics, physics and a host of other disciplines. But did you know that Time has its own place in the repository of human memory — poetry and literature?

Down To Earth (DTE) caught up with one of India’s most eminent poets writing in English, Arvind Krishna Mehrotra. “This is an enormous subject for the reason that not only is poetry all about Time but is written in Time — by which I mean to a beat. Which makes Time not just the content of poetry but its very form,” Mehrotra, who is the author most recently of Book of Rahim & Other Poems (2023), told DTE.

He shared a few poems that he had written on capturing moments in Time with DTE. These poems have previously been published in a limited edition by Longhouse Poetry, Vermont. We hope they provide our readers with something to reflect on as they bid adieu to 2023 and get set to welcome 2024.

Poem illustrations, design and layout: Ajit Bajaj, Ritika Bohra and Yogendra Anand/ CSE

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